A 56-year-old construction worker from New York died Friday morning after being trapped in flooding caused by a water main break near Roosevelt Field, Long Island’s largest shopping mall.
Rafael Peralta, a Babylon resident, was working beneath Ring Road outside the East Garden City mall when a surge of water suddenly submerged him at approximately 11:13 a.m., News 12 and Nassau County police reported.
Peralta’s coworkers pulled him from the excavation, after which emergency responders performed life-saving procedures at the scene.
He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to police.
News 12, citing the Town of Hempstead, reported that Peralta worked for a private contractor hired to repair a private water main and hydrant.
The damaged water main was located on Roosevelt Field property, which had contracted Peralta’s employer for the work.
“Losing a loved one is really hard. Knowing that they went out there to provide for their families,” New York resident Alice Lindow told News 12 near the scene. She said she was praying for “God’s comfort and strength” for Peralta’s grieving family.
Police opened an investigation into the fatal incident and closed Ring Road between Stewart Avenue and Zeckendorf Boulevard for several hours, the outlet reported.
Peralta’s death recalls a similar workplace tragedy in Illinois, where a public works employee died after becoming trapped in an underground vault during a water main break.
Matthew Heiden, a Village of Westmont public works employee, was killed on Feb. 23, 2023, when water flooded the space where he was working, according to ABC7 Chicago.
Heiden, 20, was the crew’s youngest full-time employee. A lawsuit filed in November 2023 by the law firm Cooney and Conway on behalf of his estate alleges that he was “knowingly and intentionally” sent underground.
The lawsuit claims Heiden entered the confined area to work on a non-isolated, fully energized water main valve without a basic safety plan, adequate training, protective equipment, support or supervision.
The complaint seeks damages from the Village of Westmont.
In March, a three-judge panel overturned a trial court’s decision and allowed the case to move forward after it had initially been dismissed with prejudice.
